On the heels of Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess experiencing a norovirus outbreak mid-voyage, passengers aboard sister ship, Sky Princess, are sharing an additional outbreak.
Guests sailing a 14-night journey to the Caribbean reported the captain took to the ships’ PA system on January 28, 2025, to announce that a gastrointestinal illness was spreading on the ship.
During the announcement, the captain asked passengers to be diligent in hand washing measures and isolating if feeling symptoms.
Although not yet reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as of January 29, 2025, guest services sent a letter to all passengers confirming the outbreak and announcing a necessary deep clean would be performed.
“To help control the spread of illness, we are conducting a comprehensive ship-wide cleaning and disinfection program on January 29, 2025, while we are in Ocho Rios,” the letter began.
Revealing the deep clean included stripping all linens in each stateroom, Princess Cruises asked guests to either disembark during the call or be prepared to leave their staterooms, when asked.
“We recommend that you disembark the ship and enjoy time ashore during the cleaning operations. If you are unable to leave the ship, please vacate your stateroom when requested and enjoy one of the public areas onboard until staterooms are ready for occupancy again,” the letter continued.
Princess Cruises also noted some changes to services and facilities would be temporarily unavailable during the cleaning process.
“Your patience and cooperation are greatly appreciated if any delays are experienced,” said guest services.
Sky Princess arrived in Ocho Rios, its sixth port of call during a cruise that departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on January 19, 2025, at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, January 29, and remained in port until 4 p.m.
The vessel is expected to continue to George Town, Grand Cayman, on January 30, and Cozumel in Mexico, on the 31st, before returning to Port Everglades on February 2.
Managing Outbreaks
While specifics on the gastrointestinal outbreak have not been revealed, they are often attributed to norovirus and can spread through contaminated food, water, or surfaces, according to the CDC.
It says the most common symptoms of gastrointestinal illness are vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain, often combined with fever, headache, and body aches.
Passengers who fall ill typically recover in one to three days, however, they may continue to spread the virus up to two weeks after they have recovered, which is why Princess Cruise ships is taking action to provide a deep clean mid-voyage.
Sly Princess Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Tenreiro / Shutterstock)
It is likely the vessel will perform an additional deep clean once it returns to Fort Lauderdale, ahead of its next departure on February 2. That 7-night Western Caribbean sailing could face delayed embarkation should Sky Princess undergo additional cleaning measures.
Unfortunately, this outbreak is now the seventh onboard an American homeported cruise liner in January 2025, a month that, in recent years, typically sees just two to three cases annually.
Coral Princess, which is also sailing to Fort Lauderdale with a February 5 arrival, spent its January 29 call in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, also conducting a deep clean after 59 passengers and 12 crew members displayed symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.
That case has been reported to the CDC, as required by cruise ships when more than 3 percent of the total number of passengers or crew aboard display symptoms.
This could mean that the 3,660-passenger Sky Princess caught the illness early and is already following CDC guidelines for increased sanitation and disinfection protocols, communicating with passengers to inform them of the spread, and isolating passengers until they are symptom-free.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com